Gary Neville has launched a fresh attack on Mark Clattenburg and accused him of acting “like a Navy SEAL” for Nottingham Forest.
Forest’s insinuation that VAR official, Stuart Attwell, whom they referred to as a “Luton fan,” had been biased while officiating their defeat to Everton prompted Neville to liken their behaviour to that of a “mafia gang”.
The public condemnation by Neville reportedly led Forest to consider legal action against him for his comments.
However, Neville has refused to back down and has now attacked their referee analyst Mark Clattenburg over his role at the club.
He called for Clattenburg’s resignation at the weekend, citing concerns over his involvement in the controversial tweet and the team’s poor performance since he was appointed in his new role.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Neville said: “You’ve got Clattenburg almost like a Navy Seal in the director’s box crawling along to the CEO [whispering].
“The reason I asked him to resign was because if he actually saw that Luton tweet that went out.
“He actually has to distance himself from it or he’s part of it.
“If he’s part of that, I’m like ‘wow’.
“The second part of it is it’s football, right.
“If you’re the leader of that football club, since Mark Clattenburg came in, in the last 10 games they’ve won one match.
“In the 10 games before, they won four”.
Focus
Neville suggested that Forest should get over their obsession with referees and focus on their performances on the pitch.
“You never give football players or employees a get-out excuse ever,” he added.
“He’s given them an excuse to not win.
“Now that might sound crazy, but when you put that negativity in, Neco Williams, he’s probably a really good player, he’s coming out on Sunday and he’s talking about referees.
“They’re all consumed about referees, and they’ve given themselves an excuse, everyone’s against us.
“It’s not working for them this strategy of the way in which it’s going.
“What they need to do is switch their mentality completely and forget about referees.
“Get Clattenburg out the director’s box so the camera stops going on him and concentrate on football, because they’re going to go down if they’re not careful.”
Meanwhile, Neville will not be working as a pundit during Forest’s clash against Manchester City on Sunday and has instead been allocated to the north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham.
North London Derby
Neville revealed that he had been sent a text by a Forest fan that read: “I’m just asking whether you’re at the Nottingham Forest and Man City game.
“I’m asking for 27,000 friends.”
The former defender then went on to confirm: “I rang Sky up and said I need the North London derby on Sunday! No.
“I am at the North London derby, by the way.”
Read more: Jamie Carragher Issues Brutal Verdict On Darwin Nunez
However, Forest are just a point above the relegation zone after 34 matches.
They have to put in a few inspirational performances in the final four fixtures which include hosting City and Chelsea.
Also, the two remaining fixtures could be crucial in determining their fortunes as they are against Sheffield United and Burnley – with both teams currently in the drop zone.
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